ound. Danilo Gallinari came over in the deal along with fellow

I am happy the bye weeks are over. Two games is 50 per cent less preparation time for me but two games compared to four is just not the same. As a former player, the bye week always came at the right time but as a fan and public conduit, the flow is not the same. The meaning of who wins and how they do it does not relate in the standing as directly. Four games a week for the rest of the season is great. At this point of the season - heading into Week 8 - the best team playing their best game are the Toronto Argonauts. Three dominate wins over Winnipeg, BC, and last week a 38-13 win in Montreal, makes the Argonauts the team to beat in the East. Yes, when you evaluate that Montreal game, the Alouettes did beat themselves as much as Toronto beat them - five fumbles, one interception and a turnover on downs is a disaster - but Toronto took those moments and produced points. The Alouettes are in trouble! A statement of the obvious, I realize, but as I look to the future I see next week in Saskatchewan coming off a loss, than BC - who is going to improve - followed by the Argos again back-to-back. The reason for the Als regression and the reality of 2-4 in the standings do begin with the calculated mistake of the head coaching change to begin the season. But the Argos game showed a lack of emotion and passion that has to be a concern as well. Seven turnovers do depress a collective teams ability to regroup but this is pro football not college and pro football players have to have the ability to concentrate on the present moment and nothing else. I have never seen Montreal lose its "fight" the way that team did and it has to be a concern. The other team, Toronto, showed a killer attitude that all coaches love to be a part of. Avoiding mistakes is so important in football - as important as making great plays. Of equal value is taking advantage of opponents mistakes. Toronto crushed Montreal in the first quarter and the Als never recovered. Switching topics completely, Argos defensive coordinator Chris Jones is the next head coach candidate to be considered. Dave Dickenson and Jacques Chapdelaine in BC are two others, but Jones has the ability to see CFL talent and then see them make it happen on the field. Cornerback Alonzo Lawrence played his first game and looked like he can play many more. Whats amazing to me is that out of the starting 12 on defense for the winning Grey Cup team, only three remain - Patrick Watkins, Robert McCune and Marcus Ball. Yet, you get the feel that this defense is going to be as good as last years defense soon. Argos safety Matt Black is also improving game-by-game. The second game of Week 7 lived up to the hype. Well, if youre a Stampeders fan, that is. The season is a grind, that is a given, but the secret to making the grind productive is to look at the practices professionally and take the games personally. Calgarys win over the Riders happened because it became personal. John Cornish was tired of hearing how great Kory Sheets is. The front five of the Stampeders was tired of hearing about how good the front five of Saskatchewan is. Both had something to prove more than winning the game. Players know about other players - who are playing well and who arent playing so well, and every aspect in between. Players want to be all-stars, gain individual recognition for a job well done and everything that goes with it. It is natural and normal in the "human" world of competition. I thought Fridays win by the Stamps was great because Calgary took it personally while Saskatchewan took it professionally. Next time these two teams play again is Saturday, October 26th, Saskatchewan at Calgary, and could be for first place in the West. Ok good; the bye weeks are over. Winnipeg will regroup with all the management changes, both Hamilton and Edmonton are improving, Montreal has major challenges, Saskatchewan will bounce back, and Toronto and BC are on a major roll. Now, staying healthy is as important as anything else with 12 straight weeks and four games a week. Let the grind begin at practice but always make the games personal. Max Kepler Jersey . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. Kyle Gibson Jersey . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. http://www.twinssale.com/ . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Bert Blyleven Jersey . A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak. Paul Molitor Twins Jersey .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. From the moment he took over the moribund Toronto Raptors last month, Tim Leiweke vowed to make some significant changes to return the team to competitiveness in the Eastern Conference. It didnt take him long to show everyone that he means business. Leiweke lured Masai Ujiri away from the Denver Nuggets on Friday, giving the Raptors the reigning NBA executive of the year and a rising star among the leagues front office ranks. Yahoo Sports first reported the deal, which is believed to be worth $15 million over five years. "We feel very lucky to have Masai in our organization," Leiweke said in a statement issued by the team. "He is a proven judge of talent and we look for him to be a big part of creating a winning atmosphere, leading us to the playoffs and, ultimately, delivering NBA championships for Toronto." It will be a homecoming of sorts for the 42-year-old Ujiri, a native of Nigeria and the first African-born GM in Americas four major sports. Ujiri was the assistant GM for the Raptors for three seasons before leaving for the Nuggets in 2010, where he quickly made a name for himself. "To come back to the Raptors, to live in such a great city, and work in an organization that has committed all the resources necessary to win championships was a huge factor in the decision," Ujiri said in a statement. "I have already developed a great relationship with Tim Leiweke and I cant wait to get back to Canada to build a team that is poised to take the next step in the NBA." Ujiri will have some weighty decisions to make soon after taking the helm in Toronto. With the team currently over the leagues luxury tax threshold, he will have to decide which of the Raptors burdensome salaries to eliminate using the amnesty clause. Another pressing concern is finding a willing trade partner for maligned Italian forward Andrea Bargnani, whose welcome in Toronto has long been worn out. But Ujiri has had success with tricky manoeuvring in the past. He earned respect for his deft handling of the Carmelo Anthony trade to New York and his ability to assemble a relatively starless roster that still managed to be a formidable contender in the Western Conference. With nary an all-star this season, the Nuggets won a franchise-record 57 games and went an NBA-best 38-3 at home to finish third in the powerful Western Conference, helping Ujiri garner the NBAs Executive of the Year honour to go with George Karls Coach of the Year award. But Ujiri was also one of the lowest-paid GMs in the league, earning less than $1 million a season, a salary commensurate with the Nuggets reputation for paying their front office members below market value. Team president Josh Kroenke told The Denver Post a week ago that he and Ujiri had agreed in principle to a contract extension, but once the Raptors came calling, he felt obliged to let Ujiri interview with his old team. "I would also like to publicly thank the Kroenkes in Denver for being such a class organization that they would allow Masai to pursue his dream," Leiweke said. "They put him first in all of our discussions."; Kroenke worked closely with Ujiri to shape the roster and he could turn to Pete DAllesandro, Ujiris right-hand man in Denver, to take his boss place.dddddddddddd DAllesandro also could follow Ujiri to Toronto. "I appreciate everything Masai has done since re-joining the Nuggets in 2010," Kroenke said. "Over the past two and a half years, he and I have spent countless hours working together to tackle some of the toughest challenges in franchise history. "I have tremendous admiration for him as a colleague and will always consider him to be a great friend. The potential for awkwardness exists in Toronto where Bryan Colangelo, Ujiris former boss with the Raptors, was recently stripped of final say on basketball matters. Leiweke was looking for a new voice to lead the franchise that has missed the playoffs for five straight years. "There is accountability here and we need a new set of eyes and a new thinking," Leiweke said last week. But Colangelos contract was extended and he was moved into a new role as team president, something that he admitted made him "a little disappointed." Ujiri will report to Leiweke and have complete authority on basketball matters. "Bryans probably ticked off at me," Leiweke said then. "Theres no probably. Hes ticked off at me. This isnt his perfect world, either. But to his credit, he accepts it." But Ujiri has plenty of experience navigating difficult situations. He took over as GM in Denver on Aug. 27, 2010, where he was handed the Melo-drama with Anthony demanding a trade to the New York Knicks. After finally engineering the blockbuster deal that next February, Ujiri famously apologized, saying, "We feel we got killed in the trade." But it turned out to be a win-win for both teams: Denver landed a bevy of young players, trade exemptions and draft picks Ujiri used to retool the roster, and the Knicks got a bona fide superstar to build a team around. Danilo Gallinari came over in the deal along with fellow starter Kosta Koufos, key reserve Wilson Chandler and emergency centre Timofey Mozgov. The Nuggets also got Raymond Felton, whom they flipped for point guard Andre Miller and two draft picks, one of which landed them Jordan Hamilton. They used trade exemptions from the deal to acquire Corey Brewer from Dallas and JaVale McGee from Washington. A first-round draft pick acquired in the trade was used to get starter Andre Iguodala from Philadelphia last summer, and Denver used a second-round pick from the deal to draft Quincy Miller. Thats 10 Nuggets connected to Anthonys departure from Denver. Last year, he drafted Evan Fournier of France and Izzet Turkyilmaz from Turkey and also earned praise for drafting Kenneth Faried with the 22nd pick in 2011. "It was a very difficult decision to leave Denver, but the Nuggets remain in good hands," Ujiri said. "Id also like to thank the coaching staff for their work and the fans for their support and dedication. Ill always have a special place in my heart for the city of Denver and the Nuggets as an organization." ' ' '